Flames-Canadiens Preview

The Calgary Flames hope to carry their recent home success over to the road and notch their longest winning streak in three years.

Following a perfect homestand, the Flames look to continue their recent mastery of the struggling Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night.

Calgary (21-27-7) was outscored 22-4 during a franchise-record seven-game home skid, but then totaled 21 goals on a 5-0-0 homestand. It ended with Saturday's 4-3 win over Minnesota as Mikael Backlund scored his second goal of the game in overtime.

"It's awesome. It's a great feeling, everybody's happy," Backlund said. "The guys are buzzing in here and having a good time with each other. It's so nice to just win."

Backlund has five goals and three assists in four games since failing to register a point in four straight. Calgary's top pick in 2007 has a career-high 13 goals after recording 23 through his first five seasons.

"It's nice to finally be able to get those goals that people wanted me to get for a lot of years," said Backlund, who also has a career-best 27 points. "I'm excited about it, I feel good about it. I'm happy I can help the team win games and chip in."

If Calgary is to win six straight for the first time since Jan. 21-Feb. 3, 2011, it must avoid matching a season-high four-game road slide. The Flames have lost eight of 10 away from home.

Calgary might be without goaltender Karri Ramo, who left with a lower-body injury Saturday. Though he was pulled for allowing three goals on 12 shots during a 5-4 shootout win over Nashville on Jan. 24, Ramo went 3-0-0 with a 1.94 goals-against average on the homestand.

Backup Reto Berra made 14 saves in relief Saturday to improve to 7-14-2. The rookie is 0-14 in games decided in regulation and has a 3.52 GAA while going 0-6-0 in his last seven starts.

Goaltender Joey MacDonald, currently with Calgary's AHL affiliate, helped the Flames extend their winning streak over Montreal to four games with a 3-2 home victory Oct. 9. That is the teams' only meeting since the 2011-12 season, and it gave Calgary a 7-0-1 record in the series since a 4-1 loss Dec. 9, 2008.

The Canadiens (29-21-6) have lost two straight -- both at home -- and six of eight after a 2-1 defeat to Winnipeg on Sunday. Brian Gionta scored for the second time in three games, and coach Michel Therrien praised his players' performance despite the team being held under two goals for the fifth time in seven games.

"The guys played with a lot of energy," Therrien told the team's official website. "We were intense, quick on the puck and we attacked the net. We would've definitely liked to score more goals, but I liked the intensity my players showed."

Montreal is 0 for 25 on the power play in the last eight home contests, its longest such drought in terms of games since at least 1987-88. The last nine opponents to visit Calgary, though, are 10 for 26 on the power play.

Backlund has a short-handed goal in two of the last three games, and teammate Mark Giordano has four goals and six assists during a nine-game point streak.

Calgary's Michael Cammalleri returned Saturday after missing nine games with a concussion. Tied for third on the team with 13 goals, Cammalleri will face the Canadiens for the first time since they traded him to the Flames in January 2012.

Montreal may have a new man on the ice after acquiring forward Dale Weise from Vancouver on Monday for defenseman Raphael Diaz. The 25-year-old Weise has three goals and a career-high 12 points with 42 penalty minutes in 44 games this season.